#cable also used to be more common and I think it should be more common yet again

[cyberapid]

Earthspark Bumblebee x Cybertronian Reader

Work Jitters

No gendered terms are used for the reader. There’s gonna be another part as soon as I stop fucking around.

I’ve also got two more chapters for my Mom 2 that I’ll post when I stop fucking around again

:•)

•-•-•

The laughter of the human Malto’s children rings through your audials as the tallest twin slips over the mud that Mo had unexpectedly thrown under them— just as you had instructed her.

Much to Thrash’s annoyance and Twitch’s delight as she quickly jumps over the mudslide taking the lead in their relay race.

It's common for larger bots to have slower and clunker reactions, especially one so young and inexperienced. Nothing of concerning note, not yet at least, you think to yourself but noting it down doesn't hurt for later.

“That's not fair! I thought they weren’t a part of the race,” Thrash’s complaints bring you from any thoughts that knock around your processor. He's now at least five feet behind his sister who leaps over a stray log left in their path then flips over completely before landing on her pedes and continuing on.

Looking down at the screen attached to your arm plate, wirelessly connected to the bots allowing you to monitor their function. You see that the cables in her pedes and struts strain and her vents are struggling to keep up with her, so she’s quickly overheating.

Though amused by their antics, you reprimand the bot, “Slow down, Twitch. Remember this is a race in name only, I just needed data on your physical state…..” Your warning is waved off as she continues her rate.

Thrash is quick on her tail, also pushing himself to an unnecessary degree.

Pulling yourself up to your peds allows you to see them run further down the open plains of the enclosed farm, spooking any poor animal in their way, trekking towards the makeshift ending ribbon that's being held by a fence post and Robby. Who looks nervous by his sibling’s quick approach. Agitation creeps its way through your processor as you finally shout towards the terrans, “Twitch, Thrash that's enough!”

Twitch is the first to skid to a stop at your serious tone and look back towards you but her brother takes her pause as his chance to continue and overtake with a triumphant yell, but his excitement is short lived before he’s stumbling over his sisters stuck out pede and falling flat onto his face plate with an audible clattering.

“Sorry!” Twitch is fluttering towards you with her servos cupped, held over her chest plate, and pedes no longer touching the ground. Leaving her brother reeling, dramatically checking over his enstril, dermas, and dentas to see if everything is still placed where it should be. “We were just-”

“Pushing yourself too far. You're young and haven't been training long, give yourself time.” You place your servo on her slumped arm and crouch down to be face to face with the young Terran.

Your intake halts at the sudden voice of a familiar mech, “Actually, ‘haven’t been training at all' is more accurate.” Bumblebees vents sound with a familiar annoyance, something he's been expressing far more than often recently. Twitch sighs loud and far too dramatic at Bumblebee’s approach, she then turns to you with pleading optics.

“We are training! You’ve got us running and dodging things, training! See,” she turns to a less than impressed Bumblebee who turns to you, equally pleading optics making you roll your optics at their antics.

“I'm not here to train you, nor am I qualified. I'm a medic and only meant to keep you healthy and to learn more of your biology,” you motion towards Bumblebee with your free servo while the other stays placed on the young Terrans shoulder plating, “He’s here to train you. Bumblebee has experience that far surpasses mine. He’s one of the best scouts I’ve had the pleasure of meeting,” a flush blue covers his faceplating at your compliment which goes unnoticed by you but the human children catch it, stifling their laughs as a glare from the yellow scout is shot towards them.

The twins groan loudly and the tallest of them flops onto his back, impact causing mud to splatter over the whole group. Any laughter the humans might still have had quickly dies as their clothing and hair is abruptly covered in mud. Mo being the first to react, eye wide and mouth agape, “Thrash!! Moms gonna kill us,” she turns to her older brother who looks more exasperated than shocked.

“She’s gonna kill Thrash,”

“Kill?” The Terran comes to his pedes quicker than any bot or human has seen so far, terror fills his face and spark at the notion

“A metaphor, not literal. You will live Thrash,” a servo is placed on his shoulder, in the hopes of calming the mech down.

He vents loudly, leaning his helm on your shoulder and slumps, “I thought I was a goner, Teach,” you can’t help the smile that creeps over your facial plating at his theatrics, looking down you transform your arm into a scanner before the blue light goes over both Terrans registering current physical data into your data.

“Thankfully you live another day, thank primus. Meaning you get to have an even better day tomorrow, with Bee, training” the groans coming from the twins swiftly kills the smile that was creeping up Bumblebees dermas.

[mechs-headcanons]

my headcannons for everyone's mobility aids that I can think off off of the top of my head and other things I'm too tired to think:

Nastya: Blue cane, transparent, sparkles in the light. She has similar looking crutches, but also sometimes the Aurora just helps her along with her cables (the best mobility aid. trust me.) She also has alot of braces

Jonny: The Dr House cane. He probably has a cheap shitty wheelchair somewhere that he got because he refuses to accept that he actually is in that much pain that often and only really uses it to try and hit Nastya with.

Ivy: Crutches, but they have pouches attached to them to carry books. Probably forearm crutches, but the elbow ones. I think they'd either be plain black all over, or they'd be red and gold to match her asethtic. (She uses them very rarely though, only if her brain is refusing to let her use her legs at all. I feel like it's obvious I project on Ivy sometimes.)

Tim: Cane. I love the headcannons of Tim being the most fashionable on the Aurora(or one of them.), so he has an entire collection of canes. Ones got dragons on it:) (he also gets back pain.) or a plain white cane if his eyes don't want to work that day.

Ashes: Cane but also maybe a wheelchair. I think they'd have problems with balance and keeping their breath, and also, the lungs have got to be so heavy that's got to take it out of them.

Marius: Crutches. I think this should be made canon. He loses his kneecaps all the time (which same here, that's basically the same as constantly semi dislocating your knees trust me am doktor:D.) it would make sense for him to struggle with balance and have to need to use them more often than the other mechs. He's also probably a ambulatory wheelchair user because of this too. His crutches are almost definitely covered with stickers though. (Ivy probably has matching pouches with him so he can carry her books too.)

Brian: Cane, crutches and a wheelchair on occasion. If his entire body and brain was remade, there's no way there's not going to be chronic pain, or issues with signals. His canes probably an old man wooden one, his crutches are probably the cheap £30 ones you can get from Amazon and his wheelchairs probably Jonny's when it's not being used. All in all bloody hell Brian you can get better equipment.

I think they definitely have it all semi? Scattered about, but I also think each person stores their aids in specific locations. Like Marius's crutches are always nearby him as he's an almost full time user, whereas you could realistically say that Jonny ate his cane and I wouldn't shrug. The most common place for mobility aids though would probably be the bedrooms or in the main living/common room. Or the kitchens. Or if your name is Dr Baron Marius Von Raum in the mouth of an octokitten.

-🪿

ouh reading:0 my brain is SLIGHTLY fried from all the asks so excuse me if this is incoherent. i’m gonna go through these and then add the people you missed :}

nastya: yes. give her a sparkly cane/crutches. i also do like that the idea that the aurora helps her around:} she probably also has knee pillows for when she’s fixing stuff and she has to be on her knees or crawling for long periods of time.

jonny: his cane is probably also set to the wrong height cause no one taught him how to use it right and he refuses to change it when someone points out it’s wrong. i bet he only uses the wheelchair if someone pushes it for him cause he’s dramatic like that /lh

ivy: mm yeah :D she probably doesnt use a wheelchair because she gets antsy sitting for too long :} i think when her brain doesnt let her use her legs, it feels sorta like when your foot falls asleep but on her whole leg and for a longer period of time.

tim: definitely. he matches his cane to whatever colour eyes he picked that day cause he’s coordinated like that. when his eyes malfunction i think he doesn’t have any in at all (cause i think of his mechanism sort of like a prosthetic) cause it’s irritating when he has non-working eyes in. also the coloured bits and the actual mechanism are separate:D

ashes: wheelchair ashes mm, they definitely have a decked out one with stickers and like a fire decal over the wheels. they dont use it much on the ship unless they’re having a bad fatigue day, only when they’re going long distances on a planet so they don’t get tired.

marius: crutches marius<33 i bet his armpits are bruised/have issues cause of his crutches but he refuses to admit that it’s an issues. (i do trust you, you are a doktor /silly). even when his kneecaps aren’t missing, i bet they’re loose and click/shift/lock up quite a lot (i’m projecting cause that’s what happens to me) love the book bag on his wheelchair for ivy omg yes :} his wheelchair is the nicest in the crew’s cause he uses it quite a lot

brian: i bet all of brian’s aids are second hand but he doesn’t want to get new ones cause in his words “if it aint broke, dont fix it” (it is broke, and it does need to be fixed). brian also regularly disappears into dark corners of the aurora when he gets migraines because he refuses to admit he’s in pain. i think the only think of his that isn’t second hand is a hip brace that raphaella forced him to get :}

OK now for the guys you missed oh geez i’ve been writing for three years (or so it feels like /silly)

raphaella: i think she’d have back pain from her wings, cause they’re metal and really heavy. she probably has a special back brace so she doesn’t screw her whole spine up. she also has some knee pain but doesn’t use a cane for it, just some more braces.

TS: ok ik it’s literally made of wood but like let me have joy and make it disabled, it’s my favourite,,, i think it’s joints rub together, especially in it’s hands and ankles because the joints there are smaller (arthritis ✨✨). i also think it’s joints lock up. it wears compression gloves and socks :} it also uses a cane, not cause it needs it but because it wants to fit in :D

i think that’s everyone,,,

[a-bowl-of-grapes]

Rolling stock research #1: coil cars

**Every conversion is an approximation!! (It was getting tiring writing ‘approx.’ each time lol)**

Type: Freight

Purpose: Transporting coils (rolls of thin sheets of metal, generally made of steel. Coils are used in vehicles i.e. planes and cars, major appliances, electrical components and roofs, amongst other things)

->Can also be used within coil factories. Can run on railroad tracks or smooth floor depending on which is necessary

History: Coils used to be carried vertically or in cradles (structures used to stabilise cylindrical objects) of open / covered gondolas*. However, this often lead to the load moving in transit, damage and awkward loading and unloading of the coils

Coil cars appeared in the 1960s as a way to prevent these problems. They were specifically designed to transport coils, making them more optimal than the previously used gondolas

Early examples are the Pennsylvania Railroad G40 & G41 class cars from 1964-65. The G41 has a capacity of 200,000lbs (90,700kg) and a tare weight of 59,200lbs (27,000kg)

*Gondolas are open top rail road cars used in carrying bulk materials

Structure:

-Body consists of troughs. These can be lengthwise (parallel to the length of the car) or transverse (perpendicular or side-to-side along the car)

->Troughs are made of steel, and are lined with wood or other materials to cushion the load

->Stops can be applied along the trough to prevent the coils moving

-Coil cars can be open top or covered with hoods (rigid covers developed from tarpaulin, which weren’t appropriate for damp climates)

->Can have single or pair of hoods

->Hoods are interchangeable, so it’s common to have mismatched hoods

Security features:

-Troughs designed to stop coils rolling (coils fit snugly)

-Side brackets so loads can be secured without cables

-End-of-car has cushioning to absorb shocks and vibrations, reducing shifting of coils

-Water-tight covers to prevent damage from weather

Stats:

-Can carry up to 240,00lbs (109,000kg)

-Hoods are 26ft (8m) long and 2400lbs (1089kg) each

-Transverse (open and covered)

->Length: 49-57ft (15-17m) Width: 9.2ft (3m) Height: 2-9ft (0.6-3m)

->Up to 12 troughs per car, carrying 1-2 coils each. Coils are 30-72 inch (76-183cm) in diameter

-Open coil

->Length: 40-53ft (12-16m) Width: - Height: 7-8ft (2.1-2.4m)

-Covered coil

->Length: 34-56ft (10-17m) Width: 2-9ft (0.6-3m) Height: 6-9ft (2-3m)

Fun facts:

-They are loaded using cranes or forklifts, and can have low side profiles to make this easier

-Despite bearing little resemblance, coil cars are a subtype of gondolas!

Sources: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, images from Google

GUYS this was so much fun :D

But please give me feedback on everything about this!! Like should i bother hyperlinking sources?? Do i need to do ‘read more’ earlier in the post?? I feel like i may need to work on the format / layout as well, so feel free to give me general suggestions or pointers! (Cause at the moment it’s just a wall of text)

If there is a type of rolling stock you would like me to research, then please send requests! Otherwise i’ll just being doing random ones that catch my interest :P (At the moment i plan on doing one of these a week unless i somehow find the motivation to do more)

Anyways thanks for reading and lmk what you think :3

[ishomieokay]

Hi! (Big rant I'm sry, I am such a yapper)

What do you think of homelander x starlight ?

For me atleast, I think it's a missed opportunity to develop both of their characters. They have so much parallels going on. I wouldn't say I wanted a full blown romance in s3, but more of a confusion about who is really is the enemy from starlight's side- since homelander is the biggest victim of Vought . And from homelander's side, every women in his life except for maeve have somehow used and taken advantage of him, starlight is the last person who would do that ! He would be really confused that she isn't doing that. She also never knew his horrid past that too.

I don't think homelander is a character who could really be redeemed, he is so long gone for that. But their fake dating arc could have opened so many doors for both of their character development.

I knw I am being delusional enough to think that he is very much obsessed with starlight in s4 as much as he is obsessed with butcher. Like she is his nemesis who stood up against him for godsake idk why the show has watered down her purpose to petty rival with firecracker. Eric kripke is so bad at writing the show Lord 😭✋

Yes, she was watered down without a doubt. And again and again, Billy is given an importance he doesn't really deserve. The whole nemesis thing he has going on with Homelander makes no fucking sense to me. Ryan has no reason to care that much about Butcher. Beyond the fact that Butcher is relentlessly trying to fuck him over, Homelander has no reason to be so obsessed with him either. Narratively speaking, Starlight should be his nemesis, not Butcher.

I actually am such a BIG FAN of Starlander. Weakness by RovingOtter is an amazing fic about them that honestly changed my brain chemestry. Not to mention it's the main reason why I like Homelander so much.

I realize this is an unpopular opinion in the fandom, but I don't think the issue is so much that Homelander is past redemption. It's just that the writers don't want that to happen. The narrative is not going there, even thought THERE ARE elements that would allow it to happen. For example, I don't see Homelander becoming a hero in any capacity, but after all the abuse he was subjected to by humans, he could have easily fallen in a more morally gray area a la Magneto. The writers are just not interested in exploring that because they are all about politics (which I do believe was a direct result of the US elections) and to get their message across Homelander needs to be an irredeemable Big Bad. If they redeemed fucking A-Train and even made Hughie forgive him after *killing Robin and laughing about it*, everyone gets a pass in my opinion though.

Also, it's about the times. You'd find that the main reason why many people don't want Homelander to be redeemed is that he is a rapist. Nowadays that's just unacceptable. Believe or not, back in the 2000s it was something forgivable and sometimes even expected in certain genres (I'm looking at you yaoi). Talking about Western media, I think the most obvious example of this is Spike trying to rape Buffy, his love interest, in Buffy the Vampire Slayer. That wouldn't fly today, lol.

The dubiously consensual (or just uh, not consensual) sex scene or attempted rape between the main couple was also a super common trope in Soap Operas back in the day. Don't mind me I'm Latin American and for a long time I didn't have cable.

Anyway, I'm rambling. My point is Homelander is never going to be redeemed in canon, but as far as fanfiction goes, who cares? It's fiction, and you can do whatever you want with fictional characters. The world is your playground!

Homelander does have some parallels with Starlight, but tbh, that's not really the reason why I ship them. He actually has much more parallels with Kimiko (which is also an amazing ship in my opinion, and it really doesn't get the recognition it deserves!). He also has parallels with Butcher, with Soldier Boy, and even with Frenchie. So that's not really what I look at when shipping.

I think Starlight is the only character who could potentially see anything good or worth saving in Homelander, and just that makes their relationship very interesting to me. The fact that they are archenemies (or they would be, if the show made any sense), is the cherry on top. We love some good enemies-to-lovers here!

[thevioletjones]

Listen, the DNC fucking nailed that convention so hard, I'm positive we're gonna win.

The party platform they laid out is immaculate. The stark contrast in messaging from that of the party of loveless, bigoted, weirdo, grifter, ghouls couldn't be more plain.

Somehow, in just 4 days, the Dems have officially become the party of family values, in addition to being the party of equality and inclusivity. It's actually surreal to those of us old enough to have slogged our way through many contentious election cycles and decades of hypocrytical myopic bullshit foisted upon us by old-fashioned post-Reagan conservatives.

The selection of Tim Walz as VP turned out to be masterful. Next to him, JD Vance looks even more pathetic and stupid than he already did. The men on the republican ticket are fundamentally incapable of acting like the informed, caring adults on the historic democratic ticket.

I'm disappointed in the youth on social media as usual. As an elder millennial progressive, I have always been further left than the tickets I've voted for and the administrations I've supported. Even my favorite politicians have done things I don't like or agree with. But that's the way it is. It's something we as voters and citizens do not have full control over and never will.

I believe in a free Palestine and I in no way condone the US involvement in supplying Israel with weapons in an unjust war. I also am not a fan of the barely disguised antisemitism that's permeating that cause, and I'm smart enough to know that the entirety of the conflict is much more complex than the last year's news cycle. You can seek out documentaries by credible news sources (like the excellent Vice News program previously aired on HBO and other cable channels) that detail bothe the history of Israel, the history of Palestinian struggles, and the history of the US relationship with Israel, and what that territory means to the different religious factions that want it for themselves (and how sects of Christianity have been indoctrinated into the cause of gaining it for themselves).

The thing is that this election isn't about that relationship or that conflict. It's not about anyone else's country. It's about ours.

I'm American, but I grew up in Venezuela. They just had a big election there that resulted in a steal from a dictator-like unpopular president. But unlike ee did with Trump the first time he lost, they can't actually get his ass out of the presidential palace. Chavez and Maduro have ruined that country with the same anti-democratic tactics that Trump would love to employ and pushed millions of citizens to emigrate from the country.

None of that is about the US either.

My point being, every country on this planet has it's own problems that for better or for worse, we have to largely leave in the hands of the citizens of those nations to resolve.

This is your opportunity to continue the slow correction of the path we've been on in America since Clinton and Obama. It's a slow march towards progress that keeps getting stymied and dragged back, then pushed a little bit forward again. These moderate liberals are the only vote we have that will ever possibly lead to a truly progressive hero and champion. You know, most likely someone in one of our generations.

Millenials and Gen Z have a lot in common, but as the older of the two, I'm telling you, only time and experience will prove to you that you can't have everything in one candidate or even an entire party, and wasting your ability to actually make a difference for noble ideals that won't make an actual difference to those lives you think you're trying to save is illogical.

Israel will not stop bombing Gaza because you sat out of a US election, or because you protested the DNC, or protest voted 3rd party.

Until the system is overhauled, there is no point in 3rd party voting. Of course we should have more than 2 options. We don't.

Anyway....... I am joyful this week.

I still can't believe Grandpa Joe actually got pushed out of the nomination. They are taking this swift shift to Kamala Harris and running Sha'Carri Richardson fast with it.

Get on board.

It's nice not to feel doomed all the time. I don't even care if it's partially an illusion. I know the alternative is a living nightmare that needs to end.

[seeyouonsaturn]

OOO, familial asks ?? this is a fun one !!! hehe 💖

6 - Have you picked up any habits from eachother?

13 - How do you normally spend time together?

14 - Do you have any common interests? Hobbies?

15 - Are there any interests/hobbies they have you're not into, but do with them anyway? What about things you drag them into?

22 - Are one of you protective over the other?

25 - If you went out together in a crowed place and ended up getting separated, how would you react? How would they react?

ask game

Woooo Sari time!! I need to talk about her more, I don't think anyone here even knows how much I love her. That's my sister!!

[6] Have you picked up any habits from eachother?

I need to introduce this child to the beauty of stimming. I have a whole box of various stim toys. Take your pick. Try not to break them. I think it would do wonders for her.

Also I have to try very, very hard not to call the Mario Kart NPCs every insult under the sun every time we play. I probably should not he teaching her that for at least another 5 years or so.

[14] Do you have any common interests? Hobbies?

Well, the bots for one, if that counts! We both love hearing about Cybertron and the life and culture there, as well as history, though of course the whole war deal needs to be softened for her. She's too young to know all the details about all that just yet.

We like drawing together too! My expensive drawing supplies are sacred to me and I don't usually let anyone touch them, but I'll share them with Sari if she promises to treat them gently. Though I'd still rather buy her her own set, maybe one of those fancy kid art sets that make you feel like a professional artist. The ones with the painfully dry markers that apparently were supposed to be filled with water.

We also can and will hoard stickers and then try to see who can stick more of them onto the bots before they notice. Prowl included. Prowl is the boss level. He always hears you coming. The trick is to snuggle up to him and leave a sticker behind when he's distracted with cuddles. There's still a 98% chance he knows and allows it on purpose, for both of us.

[13] How do you normally spend time together?

A lot of video games! Mario Kart is THE sibling game to me already, and Sari canonically plays racing games (aka whatever equivalent they have there), so that's a no-brainer. Bumblebee can play too if he wants to, but no cheating.

Other than that, she's one of the very few people I tolerate going on nature walks with me. I very much prefer to be by myself (or with Prowl of course), but Sari can come. She does have to learn how to not scare away creatures, but she's very little so I can excuse it to some extent. Once she gets into it, she does also enjoy creature watching! We have to keep these outings somewhat short though, because she gets bored after a while. Kids need enrichment. I'll buy her an ice cream on the way home, or whatever other snack she wants.

Prowl and I do take her camping sometimes too! Gotta give her the proper camping experience, without monsters and not in the middle of winter. Not Bee though. He can't behave and he doesn't want to come anyway, let him stay at home.

[15] Are there any interests/hobbies they have you're not into, but do with them anyway? What about things you drag them into?

I'm actually really not into stuff like racing, and cars in general. Yes, my husband is a motorcycle. Doesn't mean I'm a vehicle knower when it comes to the ones that aren't alive. But Sari loves watching races (I hooked the pirated cable back UP, we're watching anything we want for free! Suck it) so sometimes I just hang out with her. It is cute how into it she gets, even though I really don't feel the same way. I tend to just sit on the couch with her and draw while a race is on.

I definitely make her watch nature documentaries with me and Prowl if he's around. But you also know I am going to take her and and introduce her to all of my fandoms. For once me having childish interests is a great thing. I'm making her watch all of my cartoons. And she will like them. Or else (/silly). Sari is going to learn more than she ever wanted to know about Lex Luthor.

[22] Are one of you protective over the other?

I'm absolutely the protective big sibling! If anyone ever hurt this child I would kill everyone in the room and then myself. I will fistfight Megatron. I'm most certainly going to end Powell's entire career.

Ironically, Sari is the one who ends up with superpowers, so when it comes to physical alterations, she's the one protecting me. Which I'm not entirely happy with. I do not want to be using an 8 year old as a shield, please stop letting her join battles. I don't care if she looks like a teenager, she is EIGHT.

[25] If you went out together in a crowed place and ended up getting separated, how would you react? How would they react?

I would like to be confident that Sari would keep calm and know how to act (find a trustworthy looking adult and ask for help). And she WOULD keep calm! Problem is though, I'm not sure she'd care. She probably snuck off on purpose because something else looked more interesting than whatever I was doing, and now she can't find me anymore, oops – oh well, I'll show up again eventually.

I'm the one who's gonna have to hunt her down. Which can be mildly annoying, to say the least. At least Sari can take care of herself though, so I don't have to be particularly worried about her going off by herself, even though she's small. And if anything did ever happen, the bots would find her and make whoever did it regret it immediately. More often than not, she's probably hanging out with Bee somewhere anyway. I still think we should microchip them both.

[numilani]

Tech Person™️ titles explained for writers

Nobody would write a plumber who fixes people’s washing machine, or an architect who checks for termites. Just because a plumber works on pipes doesn’t mean they know about every machine that uses water, and just because an architect builds buildings doesn’t mean they know the intricacies of maintaining them. That’s not their job.

Yet often times, I see TV shows and books that portray anyone who works on computers as someone who knows everything there is to know about anything that has a circuit board. Sadly, as much as most of us wish that was the case (we tend to be naturally curious), techies are often highly specialized.

To remedy this, I’m going to make a brief, broad, and slightly over-generalized list of common tech positions you might encounter. This is not conclusive, it’s just to help loosely guide you to the type of tech person who can best fit your niche. This also should come in handy if you need tech help in real life too - rather than getting bounced around between “tech people”, you can ask for the specific person/role that handles your problem. To illustrate, I’m going to use the concept of saving a document and how each role would be involved.

IT Technician / Helpdesk

The front lines of tech. Often just starting to learn the ropes, these folks often don’t know much yet beyond a preset list of requests. Even if they’re more experienced and actually DO know the answer, they probably aren’t allowed to fix any unusual problems themselves, either due to regulations or their own access to systems being limited.

If you can’t even get to the save button, because you forgot your login password and need it reset, you should talk to an IT technician.

Network Engineer

These folks handle more than the title suggests. It has less to do with connecting you to the internet (IT technicians can probably help if you can’t get online) and more to do with securing the network you’re on. They regulate access control, making sure you can get to what you need, and others can’t snoop on your private stuff. These are the people TV shows put in rooms full of rack-mounted equipment with a monstrous amount of cables.

If you need to save a file to a folder you don’t have access to(in a business/corporate setting), you should probably submit a ticket to a network engineer.

Front-End Developer

Front-end devs are the ones who write the pretty user interfaces for the programs you use. They’re the ones who put the buttons where they need to go, make them colorful and pretty, and then wire them up to the code bits that do the things you want. They often also work with a graphic designer (possibly called a front-end designer) who does the actual artistic things that then get wired up.

If you can’t click the save button because it disappeared, or because it’s half-way hanging off the screen, or you can’t tell what button is the save button because the buttons lost their icons, that’s a front-end developer thing.

Back-end Developer

These guys write all the weird, esoteric code spells that make stuff Just Work ™️. When you see people in movies with screens full of green text and they’re typing furiously, then they walk out 2 days later with a Monster in one hand and declare that they just created sentient software, that’s a back-end dev.

If you clicked the save button and nothing happened, or the file you saved yesterday opened as garbage today, that’s a back-end dev’s problem.

(Do be aware, you probably won’t interact with developers directly very often - usually the help desk people direct your issue to whomever they think can solve the problem. But, if you wonder why your back-end dev gets annoyed when people call him asking to change the color of a button…this is why)

BONUS 1: Hacker (derogatory)

This is what Hollywood loves to portray all techies as - guys wearing fedoras sitting in dark rooms with 14 monitors being asked to hack the CIA, typing furiously and then ominously declaring “I’m in” after about 5 minutes of screen time.

These people exist, sort of, but the term “hacker” is a stupid name for them. That term within tech circles, is usually reserved for something else. A better term would be “cybersecurity specialist” if they’re a good guy, or “cyber criminal” if they’re a bad guy.

Also, it doesn’t take 5 minutes. It NEVER takes 5 minutes. 5 days, maybe. 5 weeks more likely. The only thing a “hacker” is gonna do in 5 minutes is fetch data from a system they were already sitting in.

These guys, when they occasionally actually exist, are the ones who will steal your data as soon as you click the save button and then sell it online, causing you to get endless spam calls and ruining your credit score.

BONUS 2: Hacker (complimentary)

Real “hackers” are what in a fantasy setting might be known as an tinker, or maybe an artificer - someone who likes to fiddle with things, break them and put them together into something new, someone who loves the craft in all its forms. These folks are often interdisciplinary and defy the specializations I just listed above - they probably know a little bit about everything. Not necessarily enough to fix your problem, but enough to get curious about why the save button gets so many complaints, disappear for a month, and come back with an overblown solution that fixes the problem you listed, the three problems they found other people talking about online, and the dozen or so issues they found on their own as they were working.

Hope this helps!

[duhragonball]

Neon Genesis Evangelion 03

You know, I hate to say it, but this show's been pretty friggin' boring so far. I mean, the animation's excellent, and the character designs are really top-notch, but there's these long stretches where nothing actually happens. The dull parts are probably intended to make the robot battles more exciting, but Shinji kind of sucks at fighting, and this whole show seems designed to make me feel guilty about his predicament, so it's hard to enjoy the action, you know?

This one opens with Shinji doing some target practice with his Eva. Ritsuko talks him through the drills, reviewing the technical details of the unit. For example, that cable coming out of its back is a power line, because their battery technology sucks in this world. If the cable gets cut, the Eva has 5 minutes of battery life before it shuts down.

Shinji just sort of exists through these drills like he's in a trance. Ritsuko observes that he seems to go through life just doing whatever he's told.

Misato got him a cell phone when he moved in with her, and she expected him to use it a lot when he started at his new school here in Tokyo-3, but she hasn't heard it ring even once, and she suspects that he has no friends.

The two women consider the Hedgehog's dilemma: the notion that hedgehogs have trouble socializing with one another, because the closer they get the more likely that they'll hurt each other with their quills. Pretty sure that's not actually how hedgehogs work, and I'm pretty sure that's not Shinji's problem.

So far, all I really know about Shinji is that he doesn't particularly like himself very much, and he's adapted to his life in such a way where he just passively accepts everything that happens to him. I'm pretty sure this has a lot to do with the way his dad just sort of glares at him instead of interacting with him like a normal human parent.

I suppose, in theory, Shinji could find some common ground with Rei Ayanami, the other Eva pilot, but he just stares at her while she stares out the window. This is what I mean when I say this show is getting boring. Everyone just sort of keeps restating the premise. The world's in danger from these Angels, the Evas are the only thing that can stop them, and Rei and Shinji are the only ones who can pilot the Evas, so they're desperately needed, but they're also completely distant and isolated from the rest of society. This seems like a really major problem that someone should try to solve, but we're on Episode 3 and everyone just keeps staring at this mess waiting for it to clean itself up.

Let's talk about Shinji's school, because apparently that's incredibly fascinating. Yes, I sure am interested in school. Just the other day I was thinking to myself that there aren't enough animes about schools. They should make... a thousand of them, all set in schools, and everyone could wear the same clothes, even the ones that take place in the future, when you'd expect them to have come up with new social customs. Argh, fuck this.

After the battle in episodes 1 and 2, a lot of people just moved out of Tokyo-3, so it looks like the classes are nearly deserted, except there's a packed house once the classes actually begin. The teacher just happens to give a lesson on the backstory of this world. In 1999 a meteor hit Antarctica, setting off disasters and climate changes that wiped out half the human population. He doesn't get into the Angels, although if I understand correctly, the last one showed up 15 years prior to the start of this show, and the second one showed up in Episode 1. So maybe there's not much to tell.

Anyway, Shinji gets a text message on his laptop asking him to respond to rumors about him being the Eva pilot who saved the city three weeks ago. He says he is the pilot, and the whole class starts asking him questions, ignoring the teacher completely. Everyone thinks Shinji is pretty cool, even though he can't actually tell them anything about his pilot work, and he just sort of murmurs all of his dialogue like a drugged kitten.

Well, one kid doesn't like Shinji, because his sister was crushed by falling debris during the attack, and she's been hospitalized ever since. He blames the Eva pilot for fighting the Angel inside the city, and now that he knows it's Shinji, he punches the shit out of him. Shinji mutters that he didn't pilot the Eva by choice, so the kid punches him again.

Then Rei stands over him like the spectre of death and informs him that they got an emergency call. She says she's going to report for duty, but this is the last time we see her this whole episode. I'm pretty sure Rei does something in this show, but I don't understand why it's taking this long to get to that.

It's another angel and... wow. This is a serious downgrade from the last one. NERV mobilizes the Eva, which seems kind of obvious since that's literally the only thing that works. Apparently this is the fourth Angel, so the third must have been the one from Episode 1 three weeks ago, and the second must have been the one they talked about from 2000.

Misato remarks that NERV's commander, Gendo Ikari, is away, but what difference does it make? All he did the last time was stare at the monitor and smirk occasionally. I think they can manage without him.

Shinji wonders why he's still doing this when his dad's not around to see it. I get that characters don't always understand their own motivations. They're not always honest with themselves, or they act impulsively, or whatever. But I feel like if you put on a leotard to sit in the cockpit of a robot about to do battle against a giant monster, you ought to have some vague idea of why you're doing it.

Anyway, Tokyo-3 goes into battle-station mode, and Shinji engages the Angel, and... immediately goes to pieces. The Angel kicks his ass and severs his power cable, so now he's only got five minutes left before the Eva shuts off completely.

Shinji continues to take a beating, and eventually falls near his two classmates, who snuck out of the bomb shelter to see the battle. The one of the left is fascinated by this Angel/NERV conflict, and the one of the right is the kid who beat Shinji up earlier. Seeing them makes Shinji freeze up, which is impressive because I thought he was already freezing up earlier in the battle. What, is he double-freezed up now? How much does this Angel suck that it still hasn't managed to kill him?

I guess he sort of pulls it together long enough to keep the monster busy while Misato orders the hatch open so the other kids can get inside the robot with him for safety. Ritsuko objects to this, but Misato seems to be in charge, so she gets her way.

Apparently just having passengers on board the Eva can screw up its delicate interaction with the pilot, so this further disrupts Shinji's ability to defend himself. I thought he was already incapacitated from his initial fear, and then again from worrying about his classmates, and now this. Next some guy is gonna show up and stab Shinji in the throat just to make this extra difficult.

But then Shinji goes berserk just like he did in Episode 2, and he manages to kill the Angel before his battery runs out of power. So it all works out.

Three days later... Rei's still staring out that window. Thanks for coming out tonight, Rei.

Shinji hasn't been back to class since the battle, and the kid who beat him up before feels bad about it, now that he understands what Shinji's job is really like. His pal gives him Shinji's phone number to call him and apologize.

And he goes to a phone, but I'm pretty sure he chickens out for some reason. Or maybe Shinji doesn't answer. Whatever.

And that's it. Wow, that sucked. Business will probably pick up later, but I hope it doesn't take too long, because this really isn't doing it for me.

Misato does the next-episode preview segments and she promises "lots of fan service" in Episode 4. Yeesh.

[jpitha]

The Dreams of Hyacinth 18

First / Previous / Next

Nick was in the black of space.

Nick was staring out at the endless sea of stars.

Nick could feel his Stardrive and his sensor array.

Nick was a Starjumper.

"This is wild." Nick used his sensor array to look around. There was nobody else that he could detect. If he moved this his thrusters would move. If be wiggled that he could adjust his orientation. If he shuffled right here he could feel the reactor.

"You're getting the hang of it so fast! I swear there were come AIs that needed more training than that!"

Nick looked around, but of course he couldn't see anyone. "Thank you? Who is this?"

"Oh sorry! My name is Starlight Serenade but everyone calls me Star."

"I'm assuming you're an AI, but are you... currently a ship too?"

Star laughed. "No, though I can see why you'd think so. Many AIs take more... body oriented names when they get a body, but I liked my name so much I just kept it. It's not super common, but it's also not unheard of either."

"You work for the Empress too on this project?"

"Yup! I'm her official starship piloting trainer." Star sounded proud when they mentioned that.

Nick raised an eyebrow. He noticed when he did that his body started to spin slowly. He lowered his eyebrow, and raised the other until the spin stopped. This was going to take some getting used to. "Star... how many people have you trained to pilot starships?"

"Only a few so far, but we're going to be doing a bunch more very soon." It sounded like Star was trying to answer Nick's question without answering Nick's question. Nick decided to drop it for now.

"Okay Star. I'm your student. Teach me what to do."

"Wonderful! Let's get started."

Honestly, Nick found it easier than he anticipated being a starship. There was a lot to learn, but his implants also gave him the ability to leave notes and reminders for himself and Star was able to provide tips and anecdotes from when they were a Starjumper. Within a few hours, he had the basics down and could maneuver in space. Nick looked at the clock and realized he had been training now for six hours. "Oh no! Star! I lost track of time. I need to let Eastern know what happend."

"Don't worry about her Nick, She's been in training too. I've been working with her this whole time."

"But you've been working with me?"

"I can split my attention pretty well. It's an AI thing." Star sounded a little smug. "Two is easy, I can split up to 5 or 6 before most BIs noticed that I've done it."

"Huh. That's interesting. But still, I should go and check on Selkirk. She wasn't looking too good."

"Okay Nick, that's fine. I'll help you out and let Eastern know too. She's picking it up as fast as you are. I'd say two more sessions in the simulator and you'll be ready for the real thing."

With that, Nick's eyes started working again and he looked up at the top of the simulator dome. He sat up slowly and with another snap, the cables disconnected. The door spun open and he walked out just as Eastern was doing the same. Yon was nowhere to be found.

"Eastern! We've been at this for six hours. We should go check on Selkirk. I'm worried about her."

Eastern rubbed the back of her head where her connections were and looked tired. "Okay Nick, let's go see. Were you working with Star?"

Nick started walking towards the door and Eastern caught up. He was walking with purpose. "Yes, they said that they can split their attention pretty easily. How was it for you?"

"Nick, I actually had fun. I didn't think I would, but I kind of like being a starship. What about you?"

"It was interesting, and the feelings were very weird, but I don't know if I'd call it fun. I'm glad you liked it though. Maybe you can be the Starship and I'll be your commanding human." Nick grinned at Eastern as they walked.

"You would like that wouldn't you?" Eastern laughed. "Come on, let's go check on Selkirk.

As they walked, guards and personnel would look up at them, their eyes would flash as they were identified and then they'd get a nod, or someone would stand aside and they would be on their way. Nick wondered at that a few times. Raaden had made it sound like she visited everyone, but they had access to her personal penthouse. Nick got the main encryption keys and all the guards were letting them by with barely a nod. They stepped into the elevator and Nick signaled Eastern.

Eastern. Have you noticed that we appear to be very highly placed here?

I was just about to mention it to you. I think nobody has challenged us as we've been moving around the whole building this whole time. At first I chalked it up to being with Yon and Raaden but now...

Exactly. We have Raaden's penthouse apartment, we have a set of universal encryption keys, we're getting a cursory scan and let in anywhere... I think we're high up the ladder here.

What's going on? Half the time it seems like Raaden has the whole place under her thumb, the other half it feels like we're one of 4 that knows what's going on.

They stepped out into the apartment to Raaden sitting on the couch alone. looking at them. There were three steaming mugs on the table in front of her.

Can't it be both?

Eastern yelped and bowed down. "Empress!" She stood back up. "I thought you were going to be gone longer?"

Raaden waved a hand dismissively. "It was easier than I thought it would be. The... directors were much more amiable to my offer than I thought."

"Directors?" Nick looked around the penthouse and didn't see Selkirk or anyone else really. Just Raaden sitting on the couch, a pad and a mug of tea on the table next to her.

"Directors of Wheelock Incorporated. They're a major shipbuilder, out of Luna. I own it now."

"You... own Wheelock Incorporated?" Nick had heard the name before, but only as a name on the news. They were famous for being in business nearly one thousand years, building starships of all kinds. They reportedly owned most of the Heinlein Shipyards and suffered a massive loss when Melody stole it.

Raaden nodded and picked up her tea. "Yes. They accepted my proposal easily. The papers were signed within half a day - all very privately and without fanfare, as I had requested. Just another piece of the puzzle I need."

Nick sat hard into the chair opposite Raaden. Nick looked at the cup of coffee where he sat, hot and ready. She gestured with her hand offering it to him, and he took it. Once again, it was perfect. Eastern sat next to him and picked up the mug of tea where she was. Nick looked over at Her. "Raaden... Empress... How much of Sol do you own?"

She looked thoughtful for a moment, and her eyes flashed blue. "Hmm. With this I now own more than 40% of all the manufacturing ability in Sol, 60% of the food production and 80% of retail."

Eastern choked on her tea. This time, it was Nick's turn to pat her back and wait for her to stop coughing and catch her breath. "Ra-Empress you're telling me you are the richest person in Sol?"

"Oh Eastern, I'm the richest human, full stop. Probably the richest sapient. I own Houndstooth. I don't keep an apartment in Houndstooth One just because I like the view. This is my building. This is my Orbital."

The silence clanged between them for two beats. Nick swallowed his coffee before he could choke on it. He had to know. "Empress, how did you buy all these companies?"

Raaden smiled wickedly. "Oh, I didn't buy them. I merely showed up and asked if I could take them over. Interestingly enough, everyone I asked had no problem whatsoever with it. Once I told them what I was doing, they were pleased to give it to me. I made sure of it. Everyone also understood my need for discretion, my need for quiet. A few more acquisitions and I won't need to take over Sol."

"I'll own it outright."

Nick stood. "I-I should check on Selkirk. She wasn't looking very good when we left the hospital floor."

Raaden sat up from her lounging position and looked Nick in the eye. "Nick, I'm sorry but you can't right now. She's in torpor."

Nick's head snapped back to Raaden. "She's what?"

K'laxi don't get fevers. Their planet was much less... threatening than Earth was and they evolved in a less competitive environment. Still, they have bacteria and viruses and their bodies needed a way to deal with infection. Humans deal with it with a fever. Their bodies will warm up high enough to try and kill the bacteria without killing themselves. It's a very fine line between dead bacteria and dead human. K'laxi go into torpor when they're fighting infection. Their body temperatures lower to nearly ambient, they stop moving and for all appearances look nearly dead. With less evolutionary pressure to be constantly moving or on the alert for predators, K'laxi bodies can afford to spend nearly every resource they have to fight the infection.

Both sides were surprised at how the other deals with infection. It's common knowledge though, and K'laxi in torpor are taken care of and brought to hospitals when found.

Raaden's expression was stony. "Yes, there has been some complications with her surgery. I've got doctors - human and K'laxi here and they are in her room making sure she's comfortable and being taken care of. With torpor our options are limited. We are giving her antibiotics and the K'laxi doctors are monitoring her vitals. I give you my word we are doing all we can to save her."

"Save her?" Eastern sounded near panic. "How bad is she?"

Raaden's eyes dropped. "She's bad, Eastern. If I had known how bad I wouldn't have authorized her release from the hospital. I've already... spoken with the charge nurse who let her go." She looked up at Eastern and met her gaze. "We're doing everything we can. For now, the only thing we can do is wait." Raaden stood. "Come on, you must be hungry. Do you want to get some dinner? We can go somewhere, and take your mind off things for a bit. I know a nice place."

Nick looked at Eastern. Eastern looked at Nick. Her eyes shrugged. "Sure Raaden, let's get some dinner."

Raaden led them upstairs to the roof, and called a Hopper. Another unbranded Hopper came down silently and smoothly. The door hissed open and she stepped in, followed by Eastern and Nick. They sat together across from the Empress as the Hopper lifted off Hyacinth One and glided up-arm. Raaden took out a pad and began reading something as they flew.

As they moved up the arm towards the end of Hyacinth, Nick looked out at the landscape sliding below. "Raaden?"

She looked up from her pad. "Yes Nick?"

"How many people know about you? The real you. What you're doing, what you're trying to accomplish."

Raaden stared at Nick a moment and put her pad down. "Well, that depends entirely upon your definition of 'the real me' and 'what i'm trying to accomplish' don't you think? I could argue that the answer to your question is one person." She pointed to herself. "Me." She smiled. "But that is an overly narrow definition I think. I know what you mean." She looked out of the windows at Hyacinth sliding beneath them. "Maybe a dozen people? You, and Eastern, and Selkirk, Yon, Um'reli, some people left over from the Vengeance of Lavinia - that was my ship when Melody was around - and a few of our assistants." She smiled. "I never told them, but I try not to hire idiots and it doesn't take too long working around me to... figure stuff out."

"But so many people in Hyacinth One have cybernetics! Practically everyone!"

"I know, isn't it great? Its a real sign that the worries that the AIs had about cybernetics really were unfounded. They gave up on it too soon, and me and my scientists were able to get the kinks worked out." She demurred "With humans at least. I hope we can get it as easy and safe for all sapient people." She looked back up at them. "I give out bonuses to people who work for me who are willing to get cybernetics. It's never forced. Everyone you saw on Hyacinth One is a volunteer." She raised her hand. "No Voice either. People are willing to do a lot for a month's pay given as a bonus. With all the cybernetically enhanced people, we're able to offload a lot of the paperwork, office management and other...stuff to the network. It's making things more efficient, easier and more collaborative." Her eyes flashed blue for dramatic effect. "Between this work and your starship project, we're really making advances to humanity. Leaps and bounds ahead of where we've been for millenia. We're finally moving forward."

"Finally?" Eastern looked at Raaden oddly.

The Empresses nodded emphatically. "We've been stuck for nearly a thousand years. No new technological developments, no new paradigms. Once the Colony worlds were founded, things just... coasted. Even Contact with the K'laxi barely shook things up. We became ossified. Stony. Still. Now though, with the gifts that Melody brought and the technology we had in our own back rooms, collecting dust, we can bring things onto the next level. We can advance again. We can do anything we want."

The Empress was becoming more animated, gesturing as she talked. "Colony worlds for example. Why did we stop with only three? One was destroyed in a war, and now we only have two? Sure, there's Spruces, the one that the AI have, but that barely counts, it's practically one city. The K'laxi have more planetary colonies than we do. We haven't founded a colony since the wormhole generators were developed! We can expand. You can help! Nick, what if you were a colony ship? Sailing off into the unknown, helping found a new world, bringing people to their own little piece of paradise in the Galaxy. And with modern conveniences in cybernetics and the wormhole generators, help is only a linked beacon away."

Nick sat back. Raaden was on the verge of ranting. He had a hunch he knew what was going to come next, but he couldn't stop himself. Not for all the money on Hyacinth. "Raaden, why do you think we've stalled development?"

"Please. You two can call me Helen. Nick, you know why we've stalled. You know it in your hearts."

She looked out at Hyacinth again and then snapped her head back to Nick and Eastern. "It's the AIs. It's their fault. Not all of them, mind you. They're not a monolithic bloc. Just ask Yon or Star or any of the others that work for me. But the Colonial AIs. The ones running the Starjumpers and Starbases. The ones telling everyone outside of Sol what to do. They're the problem. They see our advancement as a threat. They see us as a threat. They see me as a threat." As she spoke Ra-Helen's eyes grew hard and her hands formed fists. "They are trying to stop us from reaching our full potential. And do you know why?" Her eyes snapped back to Eastern and Nick. She didn't wait for a reply though. "They fear us. We made them. They think that they can be like loving parents. Protecting us." She practically spat the last words.

The Hopper glided down in Iris square, the very edge of the arm, and possibly the wealthiest part of all of Hyacinth. Nick and Eastern had never been this far up-arm. You didn't go to Iris square unless you had a reason to be there or you had a net worth of a small country. As they stepped out, they heard birdsong, saw greenery and low, elegant buildings. The Hopper smoothly and silently lifted off behind them, and Helen took them across the square to a small bistro.

When they walked up, the Maître d' smiled warmly at Helen as she approached. "Ah, Empress! We are honored to have you join us tonight." He looked behind her at Nick and Eastern. A true professional, his expression did not change a single bit when he looked at them. "And you have two guests for dinner tonight? Come. I shall bring you to your table." With studied precision, he picked up three menus and walked smartly inside. As they followed, the staff looked up in surprise to see Helen walk in. A few guests raised their glasses in salute, and she nodded regally to them in turn. A server came running behind them carrying a bucket of ice and three crystal glasses. Behind him came the sommelier with a selection of wines.

The Maître d' lead them to a table simultaneously in the rear of the restaurant out of the flow of traffic, but also near a window for natural light and well within the eye line of the Maître d. Very quickly, he dusted three seats, put down the menus, and as they sat, the wine glasses were put down and a selection of three bottles was shown to Helen. The sommelier gestured to them. "If I may be so bold, my Empress, I have a Parvatian Pinot Noir that may be of special interest tonight given your guests." He looked at Nick. "Grown on the hills behind Naya Hyderabad, this is from some of the finest vines on all of Parvati. The unique terroir of the planet lends a subtle sweetness to the otherwise jammy and berry notes that one would normally get with a Pinot of this age."

Helen glanced at the bottle and nodded. "Yes, please. That should be fine."

The sommelier deftly opened the bottle and poured a centimeter into a glass and handed it to Nick. Nick's parents used to like wine and would go on tours and tastings when he was a kid. As a teen, they'd take him along sometimes and he learned the basics of wine tasting. He swirled the wine two or three times to aerate it, then brought the glass up to his nose and breathed it in. The sommelier was right, there was a sweetness he could smell. He took a sip, slurping and breathing in as he sipped to get a large amount of air with it. Given that he was in a restaurant, he didn't swish or do any of the other things wine tasters did, but he knew enough to know it was an excellent bottle of wine.

"This is excellent, thank you." The sommelier bowed slightly, and refilled Nick's glass and poured one for Eastern and Helen. The other two bottles and bucket of ice were whisked away, unneeded. After he left, Eastern quietly slid her glass over to Nick and took a sip of water.

She looked over at Helen who was studying the menu. "Helen... you told us that very few people know the real you, yet when we go places everyone calls you Empress and bows and treats you like... well, like the Empress."

Helen looked over her menu and smiled. "Pretty neat isn't it? They all know I'm the Empress until I leave. Then they forget about me. Or rather, they're told to not talk about me."

"What do they remember?"

"Oh they remember that the head of Hyacinth, or someone highly placed in Houndstooth came to visit. They remember me and my preferences and that I'm powerful, they just don't remember-" she gestured and the crown flared a moment "-that I'm the Empress."

Nick carefully took a sip of wine. "How did you manage that?"

Helen raised her eyebrow. "The usual way Nick, how did you think I did?"

"You used your Voice?"

She nods and takes a sip of wine. "Ooh, this is good Nick, good choice. Yes, when I come to a new restaurant or business or whatever it just takes me saying hello and asking for something a-" She raised her eyebrow "-certain way, and suddenly, everything is easy and everyone is eager to please."

Eastern looked conflicted. "But your have a voice that makes commands that can't be disobeyed."

Helen took another sip of wine. "Yes. Comes with the crown."

"And you're using it to your advantage."

Helen put the wine glass down with emphasis. "I'm using it to make the world a better place, Eastern Standard."

"By going to a fancy restaurant? By being the richest human ever?"

"Yes, actually. If I own all of Sol, well then I can't very well conquer it, it's already mine. If I take you two to a fancy restaurant, I can show you what it's like under my rule. I am using my Voice to do the things Melody should have done but didn't because she was killed. Melody was naive. She thought that if she just showed up and did nice things for everyone they'd support her." Helen poured herself more wine. "Many did mind you, but not all. There were too many people with too much vested interest in keeping things the way they were - AI and BI. This way, I'm using their game against them. If I own everything fair and square they can't go and claim I'm illegitimate."

Emboldened by a glass and a half of Wine, Nick countered. "But if the AIs find out about you, they won't just roll over because you're rich. History shows us rich people bleed all the same as poor people. You'll just be a dead rich person."

Helen smiled. "Ah, but if I'm the richest human ever with a whole entire fleet of human piloted ships, then I hold the cards. You weren't here Nick, I don't know if you remember. Melody held them off with only seventeen Calamity Class Super Dreadnoughts. Mine, the Lavinia is still out there. Not only that, but we can make more now that I own Wheelock. We can also take any Starjumpers or other ships and pilot them with humans. My humans."

Helen drained her wine glass and set it down. "Now then, my newest pilots. Let's eat."

First / Previous / Next

[cathygeha]

REVIEW

The Knitting Pattern Writing Handbook

By Kristina McGrath and Sarah Walworth

Well written, concise, easy to follow, and very thorough information that will be useful for those who would like to write patterns for hand knit creations. I started knitting when I was nine and have now over sixty years of knitting experience. My knitting has included creating a sweater using the measurements a body builder gave me, making baby blankets and scarves and sweaters and more. I remember my first cable knit sweater and the fact that the adult in charge did not have us make gauges so the sweater ended up being doll sized instead of something I could wear. This book in the hands of someone designing and writing patterns would be a blessing.

The seven chapters are clearly labeled in bold type with subheadings underneath. Each chapter has a checklist and Q&A at the end.

* Foundations of a good knitting pattern includes information on being correct, clear, concise and consistent then goes on to mention establishing your style

* Components of a pattern  starts with essential elements, moves on to formatting patterns, and ends with accessibility guidelines

* Gauge is essential and can make or break a knitting project. This chapter gives information on understanding what a gauge is, discusses the size of swatch to make for best results, and explains how to communicate gauge effectively to the person using the pattern you create

* Charts are something not always easy to use but then written directions that are not precise are also a problem. This chapter mentions knowing your knitters, make patterns accessible, make it clear, charts for round and flat knitting projects, stich count checks, number consistently, fit, and a few other things including that you ensure the chart is readable

* Sizing: good designs start with good sizing,  ensure accurate measurements, practice size inclusivity – this section is interesting and mentions including patterns for all sizes of people

* Common sweater pitfalls hits things like necklines and shoulders, armhole depth, body and sleeve lengths and girths, upper arm measurements, cuffs that fit – thinking about the measurements I neede to make the body builder’s sweater…those biceps, the neck, and the chest to trim waist proved a bit of a challenge but I felt accomplished when I finished

* Working with a tech editor provided good reasons for using a tech editor, the relationship you should create with the person and the best way to find and hire one

* Glossary, further reading, resources and appendices, acknowledgements and an index are at the end of the book.

The illustrations were hand drawn and perfect. Checklists easy to read. Q&A interesting and informative. I found the information on blocking interesting, too. This is not the book I thought it would be but I did enjoy reading it and found the information helpful.

Thank you to NetGalley and Storey Publishing for the ARC – this is my honest review.

5 Stars

BLURB

Take your knitting knowledge to the next level with this helpful guidebook from two professional knitting tech editors that sets much-needed standards for writing clear, accurate instructions—perfect for those interested in writing and selling original patterns. Knitting patterns are notorious for inaccuracies in measurements and confusing directions—but no more!  The Knitting Pattern Writing Handbook  sets new standards for clear, accurate pattern writing, walking aspiring and experienced designers alike through each must-have component of a thorough, well-written pattern, including how to devise and present gauge, charts, and sizing information that is correct and easy-to-follow. With a focus on how to make patterns accessible to contemporary knitters—especially beginning knitters—this much-needed reference book is destined to become a classic in an industry that is beginning to professionalize after decades (even centuries!) of informal and home-based instruction. With 90,000 patterns being sold annually on the popular knitting community site Ravelry, there's a burgeoning group of indie knitwear designers eager for this guidance, provided by authors Kristina McGrath and Sarah Walworth, who host a monthly live broadcast on the technical aspect of knitting design.

[dsenvs3000w24]

Art and Nature Interpretation

When thinking about who I am in regards to interpretation of nature through art, I think of both what my skills and understandings of the field are, and what types of interpretation I personally enjoy. I enjoy viewing and creating art in general, but I especially like art that incorporates nature in some way. I have a moderate understanding the decision-making process in art and how people convey meaning through their works. Much of this understanding of art comes from my partner who is finishing up a studio art degree and is a very talented artist. They mostly create art that includes some sort of nature interpretation and often discuss the reasonings behind their process and decision making with me, which is where most of my knowledge comes from.

Untitled Generator 1, 2023 by my partner Maddy Cohen (@madsc_arts on Instagram)

I also think I have a good understanding of nature interpretation through music. I have enjoyed playing music for most of my life, and I really enjoy learning about songwriting and composition which allows me to understand how people use music to interpret whatever they are interested in conveying. Every small decision made, melody used, or style of production can give insight into what specific message an artist is trying to interpret. Especially more experienced or skilled artists can accurately translate their feelings or understanding of nature through their music in a way that is both easily consumed and understood while also implying deeper meanings. Most of my favorite music includes some sort of nature interpretation. For example, my favourite band Ween has an album based on their time living by the sea and how they interpret the feelings elicited by the coast and the ocean. I also create a lot of my own music, and regularly try translating my understanding of nature or feeling of connection to nature through music.

The Mollusk by Ween

One of my favorite forms of nature interpretation through art is the use of nature documentaries. I find that these give an intimate look into aspects of nature that I would probably never witness personally. Documentaries tend to provide really eye-catching and inspiring visuals, while also weaving together a narrative about what is being shown to deepen the ease of understanding and messaging conveyed in their work.

A picture I drew of how I envision nature on a strange planet

Well-made art is designed to convey some sort of feeling or message, and one really common form of this is interpreting beauty. I tend to think of beauty as a reflection of the appealing aspects of nature, and the things that I see as beautiful are generally heavily inspired by nature or are natural themselves. I definitely agree with the sentiment that interpretation should focus on translating the beauty of nature to an audience (Beck et al., 2018). Showing people how to perceive the beauty around them is a great way to provide people with the gift of beauty (Beck et al., 2018). For example, my partner is quite obsessed with finding cool mushrooms, and whenever we go hiking, they will constantly point out cool ones to me and tell me some interesting things about that mushroom. This has developed into me becoming quite fond of mushrooms too, and now whenever I walk outside, I am constantly noticing all the cool mushrooms around me and feeling excited to find them. Before meeting my partner, I had never really noticed or appreciated this aspect of nature’s beauty, but I now have a great appreciation for it. This shows how passion for a subject and an ability to interpret that to others can provide the gift of beauty to another person.

Beck, L., Cable, T. T., & Knudson, D. M. (2018). Interpreting cultural and natural heritage: For A Better World. SAGAMORE Publishing

[harleiquina]

Trying to find stereotypes of my country, and I find this...

This is called

ENVY

🤣🤣🤣🤣

Ps: I'm so done with people claiming we are racists.

But then I've found this article and decided to correct a few things.

1. Yeah... but its rude everywhere else (I'd like to believe).

2. Maybe if you somehow are still in the 1940's. One place were you must take off your hat is in any kind of temple that requires so. You have to take off your hat at a funeral or when a hearse is going down the street, also if you are visiting someone terminally ill at a hospital.

3. Are you telling me that people don't do that in other countries? And we also do it with a mom with children (regardless the age or number of kids) or when we notice someone who might be tired. Of course there are people that never do it.

4. Are you telling me that in other countries they don't say "Hello, good morning/afternoon/night" whenever you approach a stranger for questions? Why?

5. That one is true. "Más vale tarde que nunca" (It's better late than never). Still I don't know if everyone is unpunctual, I know that I always try to be on time (and yes, if I'm getting late I do notify always).

1. That is true and it's something that I hate. Let me know when, where and at what time... otherwise I won't go.

2. Yes... but I guess that this happens everywhere. How can you not offer anything to eat or drink to your guests. If anything, we also give food and drinks to people that come to work in the house (contractors, technicians from the cable/internet/security company, others)

3. Idem #1

4. Yes. Unless you don't know everybody. Then you could be introduced or just give a general "hello".

5. When did we went back to 1940? I need to know. Let's see if I can meet Tita Merello or Niní Marshall.

6. Just like #4

7. Urban areas are more insecure. Any guest might even offer to go with you to your busstop or subway/train station or even be with you until you get a cab/uber/other. If you have your car parked nearby, they will watch over you until you get in and leave. (Same thing goes if someone drops you at your house, they will stay in the car until you get in and then leave). We also always let people know that we arrived home safe and sound with a message (especially if you are a woman)

1. We eat 4 meals. La Merienda (afternoon tea, in this article) is a meal.

2. We use our dominant hand for the knife. Are we doing it wrong?

3. At this point very little people uses toothpicks (there are other things for that). And I don't think people cares anymore.

4. I guess that that is standard manners. Unless is something very loud, I have yet to meet someone taking offense for any of that. We do try to hide when doing it because it's not nice or cute doing it for everyone to see.

5. It is not. Sometimes people starts working very early so they eat or drink coffee in the public transport. Same thing goes for lunch and the rush hour back home. We even have people that sells food (among other things) while the transport is moving. Whether you should eat it or not is up to you.

6. Salud is the most common one, but we can also say "Chin chin" (the sound of the glasses clinking) or even say the name of whoever/whatever we are celebrating.

7. People drink Mate at anytime literally, it is not just for the afternoon tea. We also drink chocolate milk, tea, coffee or anything else during the Merienda as long as it is sweet and tasty.

8. It's not in some regions but all over the country. Mate is always shared and the Covid era is/was very hard for us because we share everything without cleaning straws or bottles or cups. I know it looks and seems gross... but we were raised in a very responsible way: if we know that we are sick we don't do it. Sharing a drink (mate or even a little bit of water) is a sign of trust: you know that I wouldn't put you in danger and viceversa.

9. Not necessarily a plate of food but something to use as a side for the asado... or dessert... or beverages. An asado is a family's or friend's meeting and, again, we are taught to share and always put our little grain of salt.

10. Isn't this a thing all over the world?

1. Yes.

2. Well... all presents are. Hello?

3. Yes... and it is not just an argentinean thing. A lot of countries have this rule.

4. There are two sides. If you give something too expensive to someone who can get you something you want/need... it is bribery. But it is also true that, among friends, we never expect people to spend too much money on us. We live in a country with constant economical crises, money is hard to get so don't use it on us (but, at the same time we might spend a lot on money in something for a friend/family member/beloved because is our way to show affection).

"La vaquita" (lit. The Little Cow) is one way we have of spending more money than the acceptable amount on a present. Usually a group of friends/co-workers/family members put, let's say, 100 pesos each and then one present is bought in the name of the group or they can just give the money so the celebrated one can buy whatever they want.

whats a stereotype for your country that you absolutely do. mine is that i unironically go "eh" and apologize a lot and i often drink maple syrup straight

[aeconnectindia]

7 SFP Module Myths Debunked: What You Really Need to Know

Let’s admit it, the tech world teems with buzzwords and devices that sound like they appeared right out of a sci-fi motion picture. Take an SFP Module for instance. You might have heard them tossed around by network engineers or IT folks, leaving you wondering, “What in the world is an SFP module, and why should I care?”

Well, fret no more, because we’re here to shed some light on these little heroes of the networking world. We’ll bust some common myths about SFPs and give you the inside scoop. Hold on tight, because we’re about to decode the SFP mystery!

Myth 1: SFPs are Only for Long-Distance Connections

Though SFPs outdo carrying data over long hauls using fiber optic cables, they’re not confined to that. Truth be told, there are SFP modules built for shorter ranges using copper cabling, making them optimal for connecting devices within a data center or office building. Think of them as data delivery trucks – they can handle both highway hauls and city deliveries.

Myth #2: Generic SFP Module is Just as Good as Brand-Name Ones

Here’s the thing: generic SFPs might seem tempting at first glance. They’re often cheaper, and hey, an SFP is an SFP, right? Wrong. There’s a reason why established SFP module manufacturers like AE Connect (we’ll get there in a bit) have a reputation for quality. Generic SFPs often skimp on materials and testing, which can lead to compatibility issues, performance degradation, and even network outages. Not exactly ideal when your business relies on smooth data flow.

Myth #3: Upgrading to SFPs Requires Replacing All Your Equipment

Not necessarily. Many network devices come equipped with SFP ports, allowing you to easily swap out your old copper connections for SFP modules. Even if your devices don’t have built-in SFP ports, there are SFP-to-RJ45 converter modules available, so you can leverage the SFP advantage without a complete overhaul.

Myth #4: You Can Just Clean an SFP Module with Compressed Air

Whereas compressed air might appear like a secure cleaning option, it can in fact wreck the delicate parts inside an SFP module. The finest approach to cleaning an SFP is with a soft, dry, and lint-free cloth. And for goodness sake, stay clear of using any harsh chemicals or solvents!

Myth #5: SFPs are Super Complicated

Look, nobody’s denying that networking can get technical sometimes. But SFP modules themselves are actually pretty straightforward. They’re hot-swappable, meaning you can unplug an old one and plug in a new one without having to power down your whole system. Plus, most SFP modules are pre-programmed with the necessary settings, so you don’t have to mess around with any complicated configurations.

Think of it as your network’s lightbulb. All you really need to know is how to screw it in and turn on the switch.

Myth #6: SFP Module is Only for High-Speed Networks

As opposed to common belief, the SFP module isn’t solely set aside for high-speed networks. While they undeniably master settings where speed is of the essence, like data centres and enterprise networks, SFP modules can also be found in more simple setups. From small businesses to home networks, there’s a place for SFP modules in nearly every networking environment.

Myth #7: They’re Immune to Environmental Factors

Hate to break it to you, but even these mighty mites aren’t invincible. An SFP transceiver can be susceptible to environmental factors like temperature, humidity, and even electromagnetic interference. Ignoring these factors can lead to premature failure or performance issues. Make sure to follow the manufacturer’s guidelines for proper storage, handling, and operating conditions.

AE Connect SFP Module for Excellent Networking

Get introduced to the cream of the crop when it comes to SFP module manufacturers in India – AE Connect. With a laser-sharp focus on quality, reliability, and customer satisfaction, we at AE Connect deliver top-notch SFP modules that are sure to keep your network running flawlessly.

From our state-of-the-art manufacturing facilities to our rigorous testing protocols, we leave no stone unturned in the pursuit of excellence when manufacturing cutting-edge SFP modules. Our modules are engineered to meet the highest industry standards, ensuring seamless compatibility and optimal performance across a wide range of applications.

So, if you’re in the market for an SFP module that delivers rock-solid reliability, uncompromising quality, and unbeatable value, choose AE Connect. 

Conclusion

Getting through the field of SFP modules doesn’t ought to be daunting anymore. By dispelling these frequent misconceptions, we’ve exposed the flexibility, reliability, and significance of these compact but still potent networking components. So, regardless of whether you’re operating a data centre, handling an enterprise network, or solely setting up a home network, don’t undervalue the importance of opting for the right SFP module.

With AE Connect, you’re not just acquiring hardware– you’re acquiring the smooth run of data, the consistency of your network, and over time, the success of your business or individual endeavours. Choose AE Connect for SFP modules that deliver excellence, every time.

FAQs

What is the Function of SFP Module?

An SFP module serves as a transceiver that enables network equipment to communicate over different types of fiber optic or copper cabling infrastructure. Its primary functions include:

Providing a physical interface between the network device and the chosen transmission media (fiber optic or copper cables).

Encoding and decoding data signals for transmission over the respective media.

Converting electrical signals from the network device into optical signals for fiber optic transmission, or vice versa for copper media.

Recovering clock and data signals from the incoming data stream for accurate synchronization.

Offering hot-swappable capability for easy replacement or upgrade without network disruption.

Ensuring compatibility and interoperability with industry standards across different vendors’ equipment.

In essence, SFP modules act as versatile and interchangeable transceivers, allowing network administrators to adapt their networks to changing bandwidth demands and media requirements in a flexible and scalable manner.

How to Connect the SFP Module?

Here are the typical steps to connect an SFP (Small Form-Factor Pluggable) module:

Prepare the network device by identifying the SFP port.

Remove dust covers from the SFP port and module.

Inspect and clean the interfaces if necessary.

Insert the SFP module into the port until it clicks into place.

Secure the module with the latch or tab.

Connect the appropriate fiber optic or copper cable to the SFP module.

Check the link status indicators for an active connection.

Configure the SFP transceiver or port settings if required.

Follow the manufacturer’s instructions, handle the components with care, and use the correct SFP transceiver and cable types for your network requirements.

Is SFP a Fiber Channel?

SFP stands for Small Form-factor Pluggable, and it’s not pointedly knotted to fiber channel system. In lieu, it’s a type of transceiver module put to use in networking devices to send out and collect data over different types of communication links, encompassing fiber optic cables, copper cables, and also wireless connections.

Though SFP modules are oftentimes brought into play in fiber optic networking programs due to their high-speed data transmission abilities and compact size, they can furthermore support other kinds of connections, such as Ethernet and SONET/SDH.

So, to respond to this thought straightly, SFP modules can without a doubt be used in fiber channel surroundings, but they’re not exclusive to fiber channel technology. They’re versatile components that can adapt to different networking needs, whether they involve fiber optic communication or other types of connections.

[genericnbbuddy]

In general, ethics should be mandatory curricula in any hard science. If Oppenheimer had attended an ethics class, he would at least make the atomic bomb unwillingly, being forced to do it.

But there is a problem here: the technocratic social paradigm. Society tends to think that:

social sciences (sociology, history, political science, etc.) are not "real" science

despite being technically a social science, as economy has more maths than the average social science, it's therefore a "real" science (check some dialogues and monologues of the current Argentinian president, for example)

"real" science is the only thing that actually matters (or that matters the most, at least)

As ethics are part of philosophy, they're not considered important by society (weird thing to notice here: philosophy is the academic field responsible of defining what is and what is not a science, and by all the definitions of science provided by different philosophical schools, philosophy itself is NOT a science).

Important thing to remark here: DO NOT fall into the binary thinking trap! The fact that Hard Science isn't The Lord and Savior of Humankind©®™ (/s) DOES NOT mean that hard science isn't important, EVEN LESS that it's "trash", "a lie" or straight up "evil".

I study computer science. I know the fact that I'm able to post this shi is thanks to the advancement of physics (optical cables, hardware, electricity, etc.), chemistry (semiconductors), maths (graph theory, calculus and analysis, linear algebra, geometry, etc.) and both theoretical and applied comp. sci. (networking, operating systems, information theory, etc.).

What I'm actually saying here is that what people refer as "scientific knowledge" isn't nor the only kind of knowledge available, nor the only one that's valid, nor the only one that's important. I'll give some examples of what I'm saying:

Whether or not you believe in astrology, tarot or stuff like that, that's knowledge. It's neither scientific nor academic, but it's knowledge nonetheless. It's actual value depends on whether you believe on that stuff or not; for a Pagan witch or someone into stuff like Hermeticism or Thelema, it's highly valuable, but for the common folk it's just a delirium, to say the least.

The techniques used in (HUMAN MADE!!!!) art is also knowledge. It's not scientific, but it's academic (art school). It's highly valuable for both artists and those who enjoy the art.

The entirety of Carl Sagan's "Cosmos" series is NOT academic knowledge, but scientific one. Carl Sagan used academic knowledge to make the series, but in no moment he explains Einstein's metric tensor. If you're one of those "science is everything" people, you'll agree that knowledge is important.

The historical archive of any country is both academic and scientific knowledge. Just because it doesn't involve 5-dimensional manifolds doesn't mean it isn't science. Its importance and value depends on its use, but it can be used as reference for previous human mistakes (and successes!)

I forgot what I was trying to prove here, but the point is: Ethics IS as important in STEM as tensor algebra and analysis

i think computer science and computer engineering majors should take an ethics class. not that it will fix everything but i think more of my peers need to understand how their actions have consequences. i think having more ethics discussed in the compsci academic space in general is essential.

[jkenvs3000w-25]

Most Interesting Thing in Nature - Unit 9

With this prompt, I wasn’t exactly sure what direction to go. Honestly, most people are always posting about hiking trails, mountains and other scenery, which is still amazing but it can get repetitive. So, I wanted to explore something different. Something people usually don’t talk about, and that is how nature communicates in some pretty surprising ways. Let’s dive into two super cool examples: how trees silently talk underground and how bees use dances to give directions.

First off, let’s talk about trees, because I promise they’re doing way more than just standing around looking pretty. Beneath our feet, trees communicate through an underground network made up of fungi called mycorrhizal networks (Simard et al., 2012). These fungi form connections between tree roots, kind of like a hidden social network. Older trees use this fungal system to share resources, especially nutrients, with younger trees (Simard et al., 2012). These older "mother trees" help support younger seedlings, basically making sure they survive tough times like drought or nutrient shortages (Simard et al., 2012). But here’s the coolest part: trees also send chemical warnings through these networks when they’re attacked by insects or diseases. Neighbouring trees pick up these signals and ramp up their own defenses (Babikova et al., 2013). It’s almost like they’re giving each other a heads-up about danger lurking nearby.

And if you think trees have impressive ways of talking, let’s take a moment to appreciate bees. Bees have their own unique form of communication known as the “waggle dance.” When honeybees find flowers loaded with nectar or pollen, they come back to the hive and perform a special dance that tells other bees exactly where to find it. The angle at which the bees dance relative to the sun indicates the direction of the flowers. The length of the dance also indicates how far away the food source is (Seeley, 2010). Other bees watch the dance carefully, then use this information to efficiently collect food. So bees aren’t just randomly buzzing around! This complex communication system ensures their survival and shows incredible teamwork.

See how bees use the waggle dance to communicate food locations.

So why should we even care about interpreting these quiet conversations in nature? As the textbook informs us, interpretation is about more than just sharing interesting facts. It helps us form deeper connections with the environment by understanding its hidden interactions and appreciating nature as an interconnected community (Beck et al., 2018). Learning about trees and bees helps us realize that the natural world isn’t just pretty scenery. It’s a web of relationships where everything is connected and interdependent. Knowing this can inspire us to be better stewards of nature and protect these amazing ecosystems (Beck et al., 2018).

Next time you’re outdoors, remember this: those silent trees might just be having a conversation beneath the surface. And the bees you see dancing among flowers aren’t performing aimlessly. Nature has a voice if we know how to listen.

References

Babikova, Z., Gilbert, L., Bruce, T. J., Birkett, M., Caulfield, J. C., Woodcock, C., Pickett, J. A., & Johnson, D. (2013). Underground signals carried through common mycelial networks warn neighbouring plants of aphid attack. Ecology letters, 16(7), 835–843. https://doi.org/10.1111/ele.12115 

Beck, L., Cable, T. T., & Knudson, D. M. (2018). Interpreting cultural and natural heritage: For a better world (Rev. ed.). Sagamore-Venture Publishing.

Seeley, T. D. (2010). Honeybee democracy. Princeton University Press.

Simard, S. W., Beiler, K. J., Bingham, M. A., Deslippe, J. R., Philip, L. J., & Teste, F. P. (2012). Mycorrhizal networks: Mechanisms, ecology and modelling. Fungal Biology Reviews, 26(1), 39–60. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.fbr.2012.01.001